Thursday, October 21, 2010

Untold tale of Bill Finger #4: A little night music

Bill had a Crosley radio on his desk. Going on Charles Sinclair's description, I tried to pinpoint exactly which by combing through images of dozens of models. You'll see the result in the book, but in any case, it would have been compact and stylish. Even the logo indicates that:

Bill's composer of choice was Mozart and he would listen while writing. He liked the Clarinet concerto. But his favorite was what is commonly known as "Eine kleine Nachtmusik."

1 comment:

I always wondered what Bill Finger listened to. I assumed it was the popular jazz of his era (Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman, Bing Crosby, Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra), so it's interesting that he was a classical music lover and Mozart was his favorite, although I prefer Bach.

* Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman got multiple starred reviews and made the front page of USA Today.* Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman led to a TED talk; was covered by NPR's All Things Considered, Today Show, New York Times, Forbes; made best-of-the-year lists at USA Today, Washington Post, MTV. It also had a hand in changinghistory and inspired a Hulu documentary.

New/upcoming books:

* Brave Like My Brother (novel); Scholastic* The Chupacabra Ate the Candelabra (fiction picture book), illustrated by Ana Aranda; Nancy Paulsen Books (Penguin Random House)* Thirty Minutes Over Oregon (nonfiction picture book about the unprecedented accomplishment—and redemption—of a Japanese WWII pilot), illustrated by Melissa Iwai; Clarion* Fairy Spell (nonfiction picture book about the two girls in WWI England took photos of what they claimed were real fairies); illustrated by Eliza Wheeler; Clarion

“[N]o library in the world could object to the book’s style and panache. [T]his is one biography that’s going to lure the kids like nothing else. More fun than any children’s biography has any right to be.”—A Fuse #8 Production (School Library Journal blog; four out of five stars)

“Fascinating.”—Horn Book

“Sure to become a classic example of the genre.”—Families Online

“Wonderful…young readers…will find this…title appealing and thereby ensure that future generations recall the amazing story behind Superman’s creation as well. Wait, did I say ‘recall’? Strike that—make it ‘will be inspired by’ instead. This book is that good.”—Firefox News

“[T]ouching... The illustrated section...is upbeat, entertaining, and informative...the [well-crafted] afterword shows the shadow side of the great American dream. ...Nobleman is equally adept at both stories.”—Boston Globe

“Surprisingly poignant.”—San Francisco Chronicle

“Haunting.”—Geek Monthly

“Excellent.”—GeekDad (a WIRED blog)

“A-minus.”—A.V. Club (the entertainment review arm of The Onion)

“The best and most accurate depiction of their lives in print.”—Brad Ricca, documentary filmmaker, Last Son

“Engrossing...wonderful.”—Scripps Howard News Service

“I was completely mesmerized by this book from the first instant I opened it. I loved every page, and every word. Boys of Steel transported me; it made me feel young; it moved me to tears. Honest to God, it did! It caused my black heart to melt. The book is absolutely fantastic, the book is tremendous, the book is a huge achievement.”—Robby Reed, DIAL B for BLOG